


Resurrected

by ScilesMcCallinski



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Allison Argent, All-Knowing Deaton, Allison Argent & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Allison Argent Feels, Allison-centric, Angst, Eventual Fluff, Gen, Heavy Angst, I Blame Tumblr, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Mysterious Alan Deaton, Past Allison Argent/Isaac Lahey, Past Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Protective Lydia, Protective Scott, Protective Stiles, Spark Stiles Stilinski, The Dread doctors brought back Allison as the beast, but with a little twist..., he keeps so many secrets, i love it, like seriously, seriously the guy is not helpful at all, they have such a good connection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-02-22 15:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13169586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScilesMcCallinski/pseuds/ScilesMcCallinski
Summary: No matter how much they had all prepared themselves for whatever was to come next, whether they found whoever the beast was in and manage to help them or not, nothing could have prepared them for what happened when they finally did find them. Nothing could have prepared Scott to come face-to-face with the love of his life, the love he lost only two years ago, or Lydia to see her best friend staring back at her with unfamiliar eyes, or even Stiles, to see the girl he never tried hard enough to know, who died because of him. None of them were prepared for any of it.





	1. What's Your Name?

The dread doctors are gone. Defeated by the Beast of Gevaudan. They should be celebrating, after all, they won. But none of them can really bring themselves to feel any sort of triumph or pride as they stare at the unconscious girl lying on the exam table in the back room of the animal clinic. Most of them are in shock, unable to understand how this is even possible, while the others - the ones who never knew the girl, only heard about her from their friends - stay quiet as they wait for something to happen, worrying about the ones who did know her.

When they first saw her, first found her just before she turned into the beast, none of them really got the chance to fully understand what was happening or question how. But now, just waiting in the silent clinic, they finally have the time to take it in. Take in the fact that the Dread Doctors have done something that they didn't even think possible. And if they're right, if this girl really is _her_ , then they might even have done something _amazing._

Finally, after what feels like hours, the girl's heartbeat increases, alerting the ones with heightened hearing that she's beginning to wake. Scott is the first to move, Isaac quickly following. They stand at either side of the table, watching as her eyes slowly flutter open, her lips parting as she takes a deep breath.

And then, when her eyes meet Scott's, they widen, turning alert and panicked as she moves to sit up. Scott and Isaac quickly try to help, but before they can even place a hand on her, she moves away from them, unintentionally slipping off the table. Stiles, being the closest, catches her before she hurts herself, helping her to her feet as his hand lingers on her shoulder, his eyes just as wide as hers. 

There's a sharp intake of breath from several people, some of their hearts racing, and others glancing at each other worriedly. But Scott and Isaac just stand there, frozen, as they look at the girl who bears a striking resemblance to the one they both lost. And Lydia, unable to move or speak because the one true friend she ever had is standing in front of her, alive and breathing. And Stiles, a hand still on the shoulder of the person who looks so much like the girl he had begun to consider a sister before _he_ killed her.

The small room is filled with a tense silence, no one wanting to be the first to speak or move, afraid of what might happen. None of them can find an explanation for the girl in front of them, not even Deaton. How she's even here right now is a mystery to all of them. And most of them know that she can't be her but... The resemblance is too similar, her eyes are the same shade of brown but instead of being filled with joy and love, they're distant and cold as they dart around apprehensively, looking for an escape. And Scott isn't sure what he's meant to do or say right now because the only thought in his head is: Allison. 

And he knows he isn't the only one. He turns his head, his eyes on Isaac as the beta glances over at him. Their eyes meet and Scott can see the flicker of hope. More movement catches his eye and both Scott and Isaac watch as Lydia moves toward the girl who looks so much like her dead best friend. Scott gently grabs her wrist, stopping her as she reaches out to "Allison" with hope surrounding her. 

Her eyebrows furrow as she looks up at Scott, hope turning to confusion, and then understanding as it finally dawns on her. She flicks her eyes back to the girl, a tear sliding down her face. 

"She's not Allison," she whispers, her voice cracking on her once best friends name. When she meets Scott's eyes again, his chest tightens from the pain of seeing her like, and from being able to see the girl that looks too much like Allison from the corner of his eyes. "I don't..." Lydia licks her lips, glancing down at the ground as she shakes her head, tears stinging her eyes. "I don't understand. How..."

Scott's eyes drift to Deaton, silently begging him for some sort of explanation, anything that makes even just a little bit of sense. But the vet shakes his head, arms folded over his chest and eyes apologetic because he doesn't know what's going on either. 

"Uh, okay, this is gonna sound strange," Stiles speaks up, catching everyone's attention. His eyes are focused on the girl and she looks up at him warily. "Do you know what your name is?" 

It's surprisingly a question none of them had thought to ask. They just assumed that when Lydia screamed Allison's name to free her from the beast and it worked, that meant she knew who she was. But her eyebrows are furrowed and her lips slightly parted as she shakes her head, looking up at Stiles as she swallows.

"Is your name... Allison?" He asks and the girl quickly responds with another shake of her head. But then she pauses and begins nodding. Stiles' eyes widen and he asks, "So, yeah? Your name is Allison?" 

"I... I don't know." Her voice is quiet and it cracks a little from not being used recently but it's soft and familiar to nearly all of them. Scott's chest hurts from hearing it, remembering that's exactly how her voice sounded when she took her final breaths, when she spoke her last words to him. The girl, who may or may not be Allison, glances at the ground, panic rising around her. "I don't know what my name is."

And that's when they realise that they are dealing with a lot more than they originally thought. It was confusing enough to see their dead friend walking around and just being _alive_ , but if she doesn't even remember who she is? That's a whole new level of difficulty that they didn't know they were going to have to prepare for. 

But that doesn't mean that they're going to back down or abandon this girl, Allison or not. She's still a person and kind of their responsibility now. And even if she wasn't, there is no way Scott, Isaac, Lydia or Stiles would let her go. They already lost her once, they aren't planning on doing it again.

 


	2. Take Her Home

Scott sends the girl - Allison, she _is_ Allison - a gentle, reassuring smile as he goes to move toward her. But almost immediately, she backs away, her eyes still wide as she watches him with fear, darting away to look at the others every few seconds. And Scott would be a liar if he said that didn't hurt, because seeing her so cautious around him, so afraid of him, it was something he had been terrified of ever since they started dating and he found out he was a werewolf. 

He isn't the only one that notices either, Isaac meeting his eyes for a second, clearly confused before seeing if she'll react better to him. But as soon as she sees him move even the slightest bit, she takes a step back again, obviously trying to be discreet but at the same time not really caring. Her back is practically pressed against Stiles, his hand still on her shoulder just in case her legs give out on her and when he looks up, Scott can see the confusion and worry in his eyes, not knowing what he's supposed to do. 

A few more seconds pass, all of them silent as they exchange concerned glances. If they can't get Allison to trust them, then this is going to be a lot harder. And so that's why Lydia decides to try. She assumes that maybe Allison can somehow sense that the two boys are werewolves, or at least, that they're not human. Which is why she thinks - hopes - that Allison will be okay with Lydia slowly moving toward her, hand stretching out as she offers her a soft smile. 

But it's no use. Allison doesn't trust any of them, once again taking a step back until she can't anymore because Stiles is behind her and behind him is the cupboards. Every werewolf - or person with heightened senses - can smell the panic coming from both of them, Stiles still having no idea what he's meant to do. And he obviously tries to make it clear to Scott and Isaac that he isn't doing this intentionally, holding up his free hand to make sure the two boys know that he has nothing to do with this.

That doesn't stop Isaac from glaring at him though, but Scott understands. At least, he understands that Stiles is just as clueless to what's going on as they all are. It just doesn't quite make sense though. Sure, it could just be a coincidence that Allison somehow backed into Stiles, but it seemed like she knew what she was doing, like she was intentionally moving toward Stiles. But that makes even less sense considering Stiles and Allison were never exactly the best of friends. In fact, the only thing they ever really talked about was... well, Scott. And there was the odd time that they had a conversation about whatever thing they were facing at that moment, but that's about it. They weren't _really_ friends. 

"Guys, maybe we're... I don't know, overwhelming her?" Kira suggests, eyes wide with worry as she looks at Scott.

He looks around and is suddenly aware of how many of them are actually crammed into the tiny room. Realising that Kira might be right, a few of their friends look at each other before nodding and heading out, the ones who aren't as affected by the situation as the others might be. Once they're out and either waiting in the main area of the clinic or sitting outside to get some air, it only leaves seven of them. Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Kira, Isaac, Deaton and Allison. 

Scott hopes that really was the only problem, but he doesn't want to be the one to try anything and risk freaking Allison out any more than she already clearly is. But when Deaton pushes away from the counter, walking around the exam table to grab something from the shelf across the room, Scott and all of the others watch Allison, just standing there, still looking cautious but a little more relaxed.

"I may have an idea," Deaton speaks up, startling all of them as they had gotten so used to the silence. He faces them, now holding a chain in his hand, a pendant dangling from it. All of them except for Isaac, Kira, and Allison recognise it as the necklace Kate had given Allison a few years ago, and Scott can sense that he isn't the only one who's wondering how Deaton got his hands on it. "We may be able to trigger her memories. All we need to do is surround her with things from her past."

Allison eyes the necklace apprehensively, her hands clenching by her sides as she tilts her head up, as if preparing to defend herself against an attack. But Deaton simply steps forward, holding the necklace out to Stiles and then moving back to his previous spot. Stiles' eyes flick down to the necklace and then to Scott, making his confusion clear.

"It's okay, Stiles" Scott assures him, nodding at him with a smile. "She seems to trust you."

That doesn't seem to make Stiles feel any better, his confusion just growing as he eyes the pendant in his hand. When he looks at Allison, he meets her narrowed eyes and swallows before carefully moving to place the pendant around her neck, just waiting for her attack him for even trying. But she doesn't, instead, she tilts her head forward, making it easier for him.

Once it's on, Stiles quickly snatches his hands away, not oblivious to the irritated look Isaac's eyes are burning into him. He even tries to step to the side, hoping to put a little distance between himself and Allison, really not wanting to get his head bitten off by Isaac. But before he can move more than a few inches away, Allison catches his wrist, her eyes once again wide and panicked as she gives a small but sharp shake of her head. 

His mouth hangs open as his eyes dart from her fingers curled tightly around his wrist to his friends' faces, silently begging one of them to help because he obviously does not want to be in this situation. Kira moves carefully, placing a hand on Allison's shoulder and visibly relaxing when the only reaction she gets is Allison turning to her, looking at her with suspicion.

"Hey, why don't you sit down, yeah?" Kira suggests, a nervous smile crossing her lips as Allison nods. "Okay." She leads Allison over to the chair near the corner of the room, eyes darting over to the others and sending them a half-shrug, no idea what she's doing.

This only adds to the confusion surrounding them. As soon as Scott, Isaac and even Lydia tried to get close to Allison, she acted like they were going to hurt her. But with Stiles and Kira... it doesn't make any sense. Two people she was never _really_ close to are the ones she now trusts?

Once Allison is sitting down and looking around at them all, confused and wary but a little more relaxed, they start trying to figure out how they can get her memory back. 

Everyone ends up turning to Deaton, going quiet as they wait expectantly for him to have the answers. He glances at all of them, sighing before saying, "You need to go to places that hold a strong significance to her. Remind her of the past. And-" he pauses, eyes darting to Scott. "You need to take her home. To her father." 

The words linger in the air, the silence tense as no one says anything. They all know they should have told Chris straight away, as soon as they had the chance. But for some reason unknown to all of them, they didn't. And no one is really sure how to tell him that they've been keeping the fact that his daughter is alive a secret from him for more than a few days.

"My father?" Allison's voice surprises them all, still quiet as she continues to look at each of them. As if subconsciously, her free hand comes up to touch the pendant around her neck, her eyes becoming distant as she seems to get lost in thought. "My father..."

"Yeah, your father," Scott says, keeping his voice gentle and calm as he speaks to her. "Do you remember him?" 

She meets his eyes for a second, something flickering in them. Recognition. And Scott doesn't want to get his hopes up but at the same time, he can't help it. She nods slowly, her gaze dropping to the floor, her fingers still stroking the pendant. 

"I... I think so." Her forehead creases and Scott's heart skips a beat, worried. "He... I didn't say goodbye. Why didn't I say goodbye?" She asks, lifting her eyes to look at them all. "I left him. Why did I leave him? I didn't say g-"

"Woah, calm down," Stiles jumps in as her voice borders on hysterical, her emotions already overwhelming her.

Lydia goes to move toward her, to comfort her, but apparently thinks better of it, not wanting to see her try and back away again. Isaac seems to be thinking the same thing, his hand moving as if to reach out to her before quickly dropping back to his side. And Scott doesn't even try, knowing it wouldn't end well if he did. So, the three of them just stand there, wishing they could help this girl that was once one of their closest friends.

But instead, it's Stiles and Kira who are comforting her, both looking completely lost and more than a little awkward as Stiles talks to her, his words a little jumbled because he has no idea what to say or do. And Kira, sitting on the chair next to Allison with a hand on her shoulder, her eyes wide and filled with panic. 

There's only so long Scott can watch his friends do this, deciding to speak up. "Maybe we _should_ take her home..." he says, shaking his head a little. "We're going to overwhelm her if we keep going on like this and that isn't going to help. At least at her house, Argent will be there and... it might even help bring back some memories as well." 

Nobody even tries to disagree, trusting Scott to know what's best right now. And, Stiles and Kira will take any suggestion that gets them out of this situation. Since no one else can really get close to Allison without freaking her out, Kira is the one who has to guide Allison out of the clinic, passing by their other friends on the way out. Stiles and Scott's eyes meet, both tired from everything that's already happened and they give each other a slight nod, silently communicating. 

They follow after Kira and Allison, knowing they'll need a ride to Argent's house. And sure enough, when the boys get outside, Kira is standing with Allison next to Stiles' jeep. She shrugs sheepishly when they look at her and both boys can't help but smile. 

Once they're inside the jeep they head to Chris' home, all of them except Allison preparing themselves for what will happen when Chris sees his daughter, alive and breathing and... not able to remember a thing. 

\------------------

They eventually reach Argent's home, the sun long gone and the sky now dark as they climb out of the jeep. Scott, Stiles, and Kira watch as Allison stares up at the house, her brows drawing together. And then she starts walking toward it, quickly leaving them behind.

Deciding it isn't exactly a good idea to let Allison just show up on Chris' doorstep by herself, they hurry after her, catching up before she reaches the door. Once they do, Scott and Stiles exchange nervous looks, Kira hanging back as they nod and Stiles knocks on the front door.

A few seconds pass, the air tense as they wait for the door to open. And when it finally does, none of them want to speak, just waiting for Chris' reaction. At first, his eyes immediately go to Scott before darting to Stiles and Kira, completely passing over the other girl in between them. And then his whole body freezes. His eyes drift back to her, widening as his head moves slowly. 

He can only manage to get one word out. "Allison."

And none of them are sure if it's hearing her dad's voice, him saying her name or just being home that does it. But either way, something clicks into place in her mind because suddenly her eyes are wide and shining.

"Dad?" She breathes out. She doesn't wait for a response, the happiest smile Scott has ever seen spreading across her face as she throws herself at Chris.

His arms immediately wrap around her, holding her tightly like she's going to disappear if he lets go and Scott can't blame him, all he wanted to do when he first saw Allison again was the exact same thing. 

There's a few minutes of silence as they just stand there before the two of them pull away, Chris' hands cupping her face as he looks down at her, still in shock that she's _here._  That she's alive. 

Scott, Stiles, and Kira wait a few more seconds before deciding they should explain the entire situation to him, wanting his happiness to last just a bit longer before he finds out that his daughter doesn't actually remember anything. Except, that doesn't seem to be true because the way her eyes lit up when she saw Chris and the recognition in them when she looked at Scott... she knows something. Even if she doesn't know that she knows. 

After they're done explaining it to him, Chris just stands there, holding Allison in his arms as he looks from Scott to Stiles and Kira. And then a grin spreads across his lips and he shakes his head, tears sliding down his face.

"My daughter is alive. Allison is alive." He still sounds like he's in disbelief as he continues, "Her memories... We can figure that out later but..." He looks down at Allison, his arms tightening around her once more. "She's alive. That's all that matters."

And none of them can disagree because he's right. Allison is alive. She doesn't even seem to have any strange side-effects from being possessed by the Beast, other than her memory loss. There's also her fear of the werewolves and... certain supernatural things by the looks of it, but that isn't the important part. As Argent said, they can figure that out later. 

Once they're sure Chris and Allison are going to be okay, they head back to the jeep, waiting a few more seconds before driving back to the clinic to let the rest of their friends know what's happening, and so they can start trying to figure out _how_ this happened. 

Meanwhile, Chris leads Allison inside the house, not letting go of her as they walk up the stairs. Taking the advice Scott gave him, he guides her to her bedroom. Standing in the doorway, Chris' chest tightens because it's been so long since he's stepped foot in this room, not wanting to touch or disturb anything. He would never admit it out loud but a part of him had been hoping that somehow Allison would come back to him. And now here she is, flicking on the light switch and moving out of his arms to walk further into the room.

There's a smile on her lips as she stops in the middle of the room, eyes darting everywhere, scanning everything as she slowly turns on the spot. She looks completely amazed and something inside Chris breaks a little because it reminds him that she doesn't remember a thing, all of this is new to her. 

Pushing his thoughts away, Chris leans against the door frame. He doesn't want to leave her alone, not yet, at least. And so he just watches with the most genuine smile he's had in years as she goes to the desk, fingers brushing over every little thing until they hover over a photograph. 

She picks it up, careful not to damage it, and her eyes stay focused on it, her eyebrows furrowing as she seems to struggle silently with something. Chris moves over to join her, wondering what it could be. When he sees, it's like he can _feel_ his heart breaking. 

Allison looks up at him, her hair falling in front of her face as she asks, "Who are they?" 

His eyes burn the longer he looks at the picture but he swallows, answering with a sad smile. "Her there-" He points at the woman who's standing to his left in the photo, his arm wrapped around her and the two of them smiling like it's the happiest day of their lives, "She was your mother; Victoria. And her..." He moves his finger to the young girl on the right of the photo, her dirty-blonde hair partly hiding her face, caught mid-laugh as she looks down at her niece, only around three years old at the time but cuddling a stuffed bear tightly in her arms, "That's Kate. Your aunt, my sister. And that's us," he finishes, pointing at the two of them.

Allison shifts her gaze back down to the photo, eyes flickering with confusion but there's something else. It's like she remembers but at the same time, she doesn't. That doesn't make any sense, Chris knows that, but the look on her face as she stares at the photo is hard to describe. 

And then he notices the tears rolling down her cheeks and the sadness in her eyes as she looks back up at him. Before he can ask her what's wrong, she says, "They're gone. Aren't they? I... I don't..." She shakes her head, her words getting caught in her throat. "I don't know how I know but I just do. Something happened to them, didn't it?"

Chris isn't sure what to do, on the one hand, wanting to comfort his daughter and see her smile again, but on the other, he can't lie to her. And so he tells her the truth, confirming that yes, something did happen to them but it's a complicated story and one that is better left until she's had some rest. 

She seems reluctant to let it go but does so all the same, frowning as she sits on the bed. Chris kisses her forehead and moves to leave, stopping when Allison catches his hand. He looks back at her and she shakes her head, voice quiet as she says, "Don't go. Please."

She doesn't have to ask twice. Instead of leaving, he sits in the chair next to her desk while she crawls into her bed, pulling the cover up over her shoulders. It barely takes any time at all for her eyes to drift closed as she breathes quietly, and still, Chris doesn't leave. His eyes are trained on the photo Allison had picked up, his mind taking him back to the day it was taken, thinking of how happy they were back then. And eventually, Chris' eyes close as well, falling asleep in the chair, knowing that Allison is in the same room and that she's _okay._


	3. She Trusts Them

When Allison wakes up the next morning, in a strange bed, a strange room, she freaks out. Chris - her father, she has to remind herself - is by her side in a second, his arms around her while he explains what happened yesterday, that she's in her bedroom. At least, it used to be her bedroom. She wishes she could remember it, remember things about her dad, about her friends, about her _life._

But her mind is only grasping onto the tiniest pieces of information, like, how much she enjoys using a bow and arrow. Anything else that surfaces quickly fades again, her mind not able to cling to it for long enough. It's frustrating and all she wants is to be able to remember _something._

Which is why she's sitting on her bed, trinkets and clothes and photos scattered around her, hoping that one of them will trigger some sort of memory. Chris had gone to make something to eat about five minutes ago, insisting that she must be hungry.

She smooths out a strip of photos, the bottom of it torn, making her wonder what happened to it. There are only two people in all of the photos, one being herself and the other... Scott. That boy who was so nice to her but... there's just something about him, something dark. She didn't mean to upset him yesterday, it was just like there was something inside her telling her that he can't be trusted, that he's dangerous. 

Her eyes stay focused on the photos, her forehead creasing when she realises that in every one of them, Scott's eyes aren't visible. In their place, there's just two bright white circles. It's odd and definitely something that makes her even more suspicious of him, but she tears her eyes away from them, another photo catching her attention.

Allison picks it up, turning it over in her hands and checking to see if there's anything on the back of it to tell her more about it, something Chris had shown her with a few of the others. But there's nothing, and so she turns it back to face upwards. Once again, she recognises the people in the photo as some of the ones who had been with her yesterday. 

In this one, she has an arm wrapped around that girl - the one with the orange hair. From what Allison saw of her yesterday, she seems sweet, and it's obvious that they had been close at one point. But the same thing that happened with Scott, happened with her. There was just something off, something dark. It was like that with nearly all of them, including the other boy who had been in the room - the one with the curly hair. 

The only people that she didn't get that feeling about was the boy who had put her necklace on. She can't remember his name but she's sure it was something strange. And the nice girl who had told her to sit down and helped her outside. There was something about those two but... they weren't like the others. They didn't feel dark or anything like that. They actually felt... familiar. Maybe that's not the right word, but they felt like they were the same as her, like they had gone through the same thing she had. 

She lets her eyes drift to the others in the photo. Scott stands beside her in it, an arm around her shoulders and a bright grin on his face, and on his other side is that boy again, smirking as he leans his elbow on Scott's shoulder. They look like they were all really good friends. Seeing this photo, how happy they were, it just makes her want her memories back even more. 

She sets the photo back down and shifts her attention to a book beside her leg. It's not too big but it looks a little old and when she picks it up and flips through it, she notices that some of the pages are folded at the corners. There's something about this book, something familiar. Hoping it might trigger a memory, she reads over the marked pages, carefully taking in the words. It tells a tale of a beast - the Beast of Gevaudan, or more commonly known by its French name, La Bete du Gevaudan, and how it killed over 200 people. 

The story is interesting, especially since Allison has been told the Beast was real and she had been possessed by it before she woke up yesterday. But the thing that's drawing her attention the most is the picture on the next page. It's of a big wolf-like creature standing on its hind legs, towering over what appears to be a pile of bodies, fog curling around them and covering up most of the details. One thing that stands out the most though is the Beast's glowing red eyes, staring at Allison like it can see out of the page, like it's alive. 

There's a sharp pain in her head, followed closely by a flash of bright blue eyes and a snarling face, spit dripping from its sharp teeth as it growls loudly. Allison can barely think, the sound of screaming too loud. It's only when she feels a pair of arms wrap around her that she realises the screaming is coming from her, the pain in her head too much for her to contain. 

She slumps into Chris' arms, beads of sweat forming on her brow as her skull throbs and the pain eases into an ache. Chris rocks her gently, his lips pressed to her hair as he tells her everything's okay. She knows that, knows that whatever she just saw wasn't real - couldn't have been - but still. There was something about it that was so familiar and she could have sworn that she heard a voice, whispering one word. _Sebastian._

She can't help but wonder who Sebastian is and what he might have to do with her past. Chris never mentioned a Sebastian, and she hasn't found anything that even hints at who the man could be. But if he has anything to do with the image that's now stuck in her mind, she isn't sure she wants to know who he is. 

Before she can let her mind wander too far, Chris pulls her back to reality, asking her what happened. When she explains it to him, he listens, staying quiet as his hand rests on the back of her head. 

There's a brief moment of silence after she's done as Chris takes in her words, processing them carefully. 

"The thing you saw, it had blue eyes?" He finally asks.  

She nods and tilts her head up to look at him. "Yeah. Bright blue and glowing."

"And you said you heard a name. Sebastian?" 

Allison nods again and Chris goes quiet before getting up and telling her he needs to make a call but he'll be back soon. She wants to ask him more; about her past, about her friends, about this thing she saw and Sebastian. But she lets him leave and turns her attention back to the things in front of her, hoping that maybe one of them will trigger some other memory. Preferably one that actually makes sense. 

\----------------------------------

The entire pack has been at the clinic all morning, trying their hardest to figure out how the Dread Doctors managed to bring Allison back. None of them have managed to come up with any sort of explanation that makes even the tiniest bit of sense for how they did it, or how they used her body for the Beast. They all know that there was a certain thing each victim of the Dread Doctors had in common; they were all genetic chimeras. 

And that's what is confusing them the most. Allison wasn't a genetic chimera. They even asked Chris about it, just in case there was something they didn't know. But he said that it doesn't make sense. And after him, they asked Theo, only to get the same response as he has no idea how they did it either.

Each of them fling around suggestions, questioning if it would be possible, but each time they're always shot down because it just wouldn't work. Scott begins to feel like it's pointless, they're never going to figure out how the Dread Doctors did it, and he isn't the only one. He can tell that they're all just as tired as he is, having stayed up most of the night, and none of them are really in the mood to be thinking about this. 

They take a break from trying to come up with something when Chris calls Scott, letting him know what happened with Allison. It's not exactly enough information to figure this whole mess out, but it's definitely a start. Scott tells the others what Chris told him; about Allison's strange memory - at least, that's what Deaton is assuming it is. 

"Sebastian... That was the name of the Beast," Lydia says, glancing at Scott. "It couldn't have anything to do with that. Could it?" 

Scott gives a slight shrug and shakes his head. "I don't know. Maybe? We're gonna have to keep an eye on Allison, make sure there's definitely no other side-effects." 

"That's an excellent idea," Stiles jumps in, "but, uh, are you forgetting the part where she doesn't trust anyone? How the hell are we meant to keep an eye on her when she freaks out just from looking at us, or without looking like complete stalkers and making her trust us even less?"

Scott's mouth opens, going to reply before rethinking it. However, before he gets the chance to say what he's thinking, Deaton answers for him. 

"I think you're forgetting it's not all of you she's wary of," he says in that knowing but secretive tone that annoys nearly all of them. "She trusts you, Stiles. And Kira." 

Stiles stares at him for a second, looking like he wants to question Deaton's logic. "First of all, I would love to know why that is exactly, so, feel free to explain any time." His hand moves around in the air while he speaks, pointing at nothing in particular. "And secondly, what, do you want me and Kira to follow her around all day? She didn't like me all that much when she was alive the first time, I'm pretty sure that still stands." 

"No, Stiles, he's right," Scott says, agreeing with Deaton. He meets Stiles' incredulous and slightly exasperated glare. "Allison doesn't trust any of us. It's only you and Kira. Which means it needs to be you two that talk to her, make sure she's okay. The rest of us can't risk freaking her out." 

"I have to agree with Stiles," Kira speaks up nervously. "Me and Allison weren't... close. It would just be weird." 

"Look," Lydia's voice is firm as she speaks, but it shakes a little, sounding like she's speaking through clenched teeth. "We don't have a choice here, okay? I would gladly take your place if I could, but it just so happens that my best friend, who I thought I was never going to see again, is terrified of me. And I know that Scott and Isaac feel the exact same. We can't be around her. So all we're asking is that you make sure she's alright. It's not that difficult."

The room goes quiet as Lydia's words hang in the air, the anger and hurt in her voice clear to them all and suddenly Stiles and Kira feel guilty for even trying to protest. They don't really understand what Lydia's going through. Or even Scott or Isaac. Sure, Stiles was friends with Allison, and so was Kira. But they never had the same connection with her that their other friends did. So, they make a decision. 

"Alright," Stiles finally says, glancing from Lydia to Scott, guilt flickering in his eyes. "I'll do it. I'll keep an eye on Allison, make sure she's okay." 

Scott nods at him gratefully before his attention is dragged to Kira. She still looks nervous and like she's thinking about how awkward this entire thing is going to be but when she meets Scott's eyes, she sends him a small smile and says, "I will too." 

"Glad that's settled," Malia speaks up out of nowhere, her voice somewhat indifferent about the whole situation. She turns to look at Lydia and Kira when she asks, "Can we go yet? You promised we were getting food." 

Lydia presses her lips together, obviously trying not to comment on Malia's lack of empathy, and Kira immediately notices the tension, forcing a grin as she nods. 

"Yeah, that's a great idea. Let's go." She hurries Malia out of the back room of the clinic, passing their other friends, who all seem to send her a similar look that says how bad they feel for her, being stuck in the middle of Lydia and Malia. 

Once they're out of the clinic and Lydia has calmed down at least a little, Scott suggests that they should all go home and rest a bit since they've been up practically all night talking about this. Lydia and Isaac seem the most reluctant to agree but once all of their other friends have, they give in. And so they all head out, going in different directions. 

But as soon as Stiles moves to leave as well, Deaton catches his arm. Everyone else is already out of the clinic, leaving just the two of them in the back room. 

"I need to talk to you," Deaton says, his face and tone completely serious, lacking the hint of humour he had just a minute ago. He doesn't even look surprised when Stiles pulls his arm away and eyes him with suspicion. "It's about Allison." 

"Why are you telling me?" Stiles asks, discreetly taking a small step back. He's never trusted Deaton and he definitely isn't about to start now. "If it's about Allison, shouldn't you tell Scott? Or Lydia? Y'know, her best friends?" 

Deaton sighs and moves back to where he had previously been standing. It's only now that Stiles realises he's been clutching a small bottle of what looks like Mountain Ash the entire time they've been here. How long has he been waiting to have this conversation? 

"It needs to be you, Stiles," Deaton says. "It can be no one else, only you." 

"Alright," Stiles throws his hands up, fed up with Deaton's vagueness, "Can you at least tell me why? Or what exactly it is that only I can do?" 

Deaton doesn't answer, just holds the bottle of Mountain Ash out to him. Stiles hesitates before taking it, glancing down at it as he twists it around in his hands. When he looks back up, Deaton is watching him with a somewhat intense stare and it's not the first time that Stiles has felt like the vet knows more than he's letting on. 

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Stiles asks, holding the bottle up. 

There's a pause before Deaton replies. "Do you remember that time a few years ago? When Jackson first turned into the Kanima?" Stiles nods uncertainly, wondering where he's going with this. "I gave you the task of spreading the Mountain Ash around the building, purposefully making sure you thought you wouldn't have enough. I did that for a reason, Stiles." 

Stiles opens his mouth to ask him what he's talking about but is quickly stopped when Deaton continues talking. 

"You are the only one that might have a chance of reemerging Allison' memories." He pauses, thinking about something. "Well, along with the help of Kira. Kitsune's have more powers than you can imagine, and it's possible that combining her energy and power with yours will be enough to save Allison. Stiles, y-"

"Hold on a second," Stiles cuts him off, eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by save Allison? She doesn't need saving, she just lost her memories. That's it." 

Deaton's eyes flicker with something that Stiles doesn't understand, only confusing him further. "I'm afraid that's not quite true. There is something else going on here, something much worse than just the loss of memories."

Stiles doesn't get to ask him anything else, the clinic door opening and Scott taking a couple steps in. He gestures over his shoulder as he says, "Dude, you coming?" 

There's a moment of hesitation; quick enough for it not to be a big deal but also just enough for Scott to worry. And then Stiles nods, meeting Deaton's eyes as he rolls the bottle of Mountain Ash between his fingers. A sort of understanding passes between them and then Stiles is moving toward Scott, flashing him a grin as he hooks his arm over his shoulder and the two of them leave the clinic, joining the rest of their friends. The little bottle is shoved into his pocket before anyone can ask about it. 

He doesn't tell Scott what Deaton told him. Then again, Scott doesn't ask, even though Stiles knows that Scott could hear them in the clinic. They both just leave it and don't bring it up, letting their friends relax for the first time in over thirty hours. But that doesn't stop the both of them from thinking about it the rest of the day, wondering what Deaton meant by save Allison. 

And Stiles can't help but wonder what Deaton meant when he was talking about the whole Mountain Ash thing, or even why he gave him more. What does he expect him to do with it? And he can tell that Scott's wondering the same thing because there is no way he didn't hear pretty much the entire conversation since he lingered to wait for Stiles. 

When they get into the jeep and Stiles is starting up the engine, he catches Scott staring at him. Their eyes meet but neither says anything, silently agreeing to keep this whole thing quiet around their friends but they are definitely talking about it when they get back to Scott's. And then Stiles turns his eyes back to the road and pulls away from the clinic, his mind racing. 


	4. It Won't Go Away

Allison isn't sure of anything. She isn't sure of who she is, she isn't sure that she'll be able to remember the names of all her supposed friends. And she definitely isn't sure why when her dad came into her room that morning simply to check if she was awake and was alright, she told him she wanted to go to school.

Chris immediately refused in the gentlest way possible, telling her she isn't ready, that it isn't a good idea. It'll be like she's the new girl all over again but with the addition of the stares and whispers that she had to deal with when everyone found out about Kate starting the Hale fire, except this time, it'll be because Allison came back to life. 

Allison doesn't remember any of the times he mentioned, she doesn't remember how it all made her feel. And that may be partly why she insisted she needs to go back.

It seems to be hard for Chris to argue against it. After all, he only just got Allison back two days ago, he isn't exactly ready to start getting into arguments with her, not even ones as simple as telling her she can't return to school. He ends up giving in, although very reluctantly. 

It isn't until Allison is sitting in the passenger seat of her dad's car, just sitting in front of the school that she realises this might not have been the best idea. She watches the people around them, some heading into the building with their friends, some walking by themselves with their heads down, waving a little as they pass by the person they sit next to in class, and some standing in groups, talking and joking with their friends about something that happened over the weekend while they were together.

It leaves a tightness in her chest and an empty feeling in her stomach, twisting until it hurts and makes her a little nauseous. She should be out there, with her friends. But does she really have any friends anymore? She can't remember anything about them except their names and she's barely holding onto that. She doesn't know who she's supposed to trust and who to avoid, she doesn't even remember her way around the school.

This is already turning out to be harder than she was expecting and she hasn't even gotten out of the car yet. She's not even sure she wants to anymore. Just as she goes to tell her dad this, ask if they can just go home, she catches sight of two familiar people and she pauses, reconsidering. 

Scott happens to glance over at their car and his face immediately lights up before quickly fading, eyebrows drawing together and a frown tugging at his lips. It's only when he nudges Stiles and begins pulling him in their direction that Allison makes her decision. 

She takes a deep breath before turning to her dad, who's just been patiently and quietly waiting for her to tell him what she wants to do. "I'll see you later." She pauses for a second and then leans over to hug him. It takes a few seconds for her to let go again and when she does she pulls her bag onto her shoulder, sends her dad an attempt at a reassuring smile and then gets out of the car. 

She closes her eyes for a second, trying to build up the courage to actually walk more than a few steps. Another deep breath in and then she spins around. She should have been expecting the two boys to have reached them by now but she still jumps when she sees them standing in front of her. 

"Sorry, we didn't mean to scare you," Scott hurries to try and calm her down, despite her being relatively relaxed compared to the last time he saw her. He even takes a step back, clearly worrying that he's too close. 

Allison's eyebrows rise a little but her lips curve up into a soft smile. "It's okay." 

Before she left the house, she decided that no matter what dark or weird feeling she got about Scott, she's going to ignore it. He seems pretty harmless and the look on his face when he thinks he's done something to upset or scare her is too much for her to handle. She'd rather try and get to know him.

Her eyes dart to Stiles, who seems to be intentionally hanging back and glancing around. "I should probably..." she gestures towards the building behind them and Scott's eyes widen as he nods in agreement. 

"Yeah, yeah, you should," he hesitates, glancing behind her where her dad is still sitting in the car, waiting to make sure she doesn't change her mind. "I'll catch up with you two. I just have something I need to talk to your dad about." 

Allison's forehead creases in confusion but she doesn't question it, stepping to the side as she nods. She turns her gaze to Stiles, who still seems to be intentionally avoiding looking at her or even having any sort of interaction with her at all. She gets the feeling that she should be offended, and if she still had memories, she probably would be. But she doesn't and she isn't. Instead, Allison glances back at Scott, who seems to be waiting for her to walk away before talking to her dad. 

She looks around for a few seconds before nodding to herself and beginning to walk towards the school. Maybe this really was a bad idea. After all, if Stiles, someone she had originally thought she used to be close to, is acting like this around her, then who knows how people she didn't know will act. 

It doesn't bother her that she doesn't hear footsteps beside her, which means that Stiles hung back to stay with Scott. It bothers her a little that she's already receiving stares from people she doesn't even recognise. But she's going to ignore it. Or at least, she's going to try. 

\--------

Stiles breathes out in relief when Allison walks away. He knows he should go with her, after all, he did promise Scott that he would keep an eye on her. But that doesn't mean every second of the day. Instead, he waits behind for Scott, only partly able to hear his hushed conversation with Chris about whether it's a good idea for Allison to be back at school. They both seem to be in agreement that it's not but Chris tells him that there was nothing he could do to dissuade her. Scott agrees to look out for her and then steps away from the car, letting Chris drive away.

"Please tell me that by you promising to keep an eye on Allison, you actually meant you and not just me," Stiles says, sounding hopeful despite already knowing what the answer is likely to be. 

"She doesn't trust me," Scott reminds him. "You and Kira need to be the ones to... make sure she's okay." 

Stiles nods, understanding. He already agreed to keep an eye on her and he's not going to break his promise to Scott, he can't. One of the downfalls of loving Scott McCall; one look at his puppy dog eyes and you'll do anything to make him happy. 

"Well, looks like that shouldn't be a problem," Stiles says as he gestures to the two girls just a little bit in front of them. "I think Kira's going to have more luck with this than I am." 

Scott smiles as he follows Stiles' gaze and his eyes land on Kira grinning somewhat awkwardly but clearly enjoying the conversation she's in the middle of with Allison, who seems to be laughing at something she said. Kira glances over at them and she sends them a small shrug. 

Stiles chuckles and pats Scott's shoulder, letting his hand rest there as he pulls him towards the girls. "Maybe this won't be so bad." He tries to sound hopeful but judging by the look Scott sends him, he fails miserably. But still, he presses on, "How hard can this really be? All I've got to do is keep an eye on her, which you can obviously do with me since it doesn't involve talking to or going near her." 

Scott rolls his eyes but nods as he agrees. "Yeah, let's just see how today goes." 

\-------------------

This is not good. Not good at all. Stiles has no idea how this happened but he is freaking out. One minute he was just sitting eating lunch, having a perfectly normal-ish conversation with Scott, and then the next he's standing in Coach's classroom, trying to calm down an extremely distressed Allison.

He was just sitting with Scott in the cafeteria, talking like they usually do while also keeping an eye on Allison and Kira a few tables away. He could see Lydia sitting two seats down from them, barely paying any attention to her food or what Malia was saying. It was like all of them were more focused on Allison than they were anything else; Isaac could barely take his eyes off her from his seat across the room with Boyd and Erica; Even Jackson kept glancing up at her every so often, just to make sure everything was okay. 

Which is why it's so surprising that every single one of them failed to notice the smell of panic coming from her. Although, in Stiles' defense, he doesn't have the same advantages as the rest of his friends do when it comes to picking up on emotions.

It wasn't until she ducked her head, hands covering her face and tugging at her hair as her breathing quickened that they finally realised something was wrong. Kira, being the closest as she sat across from Allison, was the first to react. She reached out to gently grab Allison's arm, only to jerk it back when Allison screamed. And that's when the rest of them moved to help. 

Already having been through this the first time, everyone else hangs back while Stiles and Kira coax Allison out of her seat. Nearly everyone in the cafeteria stares at them, probably wondering what the hell is going on. But one look from any of the pack and they immediately look away. 

Somehow, they manage to lead Allison out of the cafeteria and into the nearest classroom which just so happens to belong to Coach, who is thankfully out right now and they close the door behind them. 

Allison immediately pulls away from Stiles and Kira, hands still desperately tugging at her hair and covering her face.

Stiles has no idea what to do and it's clear he isn't the only one. He opens his mouth and closes it several times, eyes darting around and stopping on Scott. The pleading look Scott sends him is enough to make Stiles cave.

He groans quietly and flings his hands up but steps closer to Allison, knowing no one else is going to risk it considering how uneasy they all look. And it's not like Kira's much use right now as she slowly backs into Malia. 

Taking a deep breath, Stiles reaches out cautiously. "Hey, Allison." She flinches as his hand makes contact with her shoulder but she doesn't immediately pull away from him so that's at least a good sign. At least, he's hoping it is. 

"Allison, I need you to look at me, okay?" He takes another step, trying to move in front of her to catch her eyes. "All you need to do is look at me. Are you - are you having a panic attack?" 

He's not sure if she ever got them when she was alive the first time; Scott definitely never mentioned anything about it. But right now it's the only thing he can think of and if it is, that's something he can actually help with. 

Her fingers continue to pull at her hair, knuckles white with how hard she's gripping it. It takes a second but then she shakes her head, showing that she heard Stiles' question. 

"Uh, okay," he licks his lips, eyes darting over to Scott. "Do you... What's wrong then? Are you just freaking out or-" 

"It won't go away," she cuts in, voice cracking and desperate. 

Stiles raises his eyebrows, glancing at Scott again, this time to see if he has any idea what she's talking about. But he's clearly just as clueless, eyebrows furrowing as he takes a small step forward. 

"What won't go away?" Stiles asks, turning back to look at her. "What is it, Allison?" 

She doesn't answer straight away and her body is shaking as a noise that resembles a choked cry escapes her throat. Then her fingers are untangling from her hair and she's slowly lifting her head to look at up Stiles. When she meets his gaze, her eyes are wide and full of panic and fear. 

But for a second, just one small second, Stiles thought he saw them change. Change from Allison's soft, gentle eyes into hard, cold ones instead. Eyes that don't belong to Allison Argent. At least not their Allison, that's for sure.

"The thing - the beast," she answers him, shaking her head frantically, hair hitting her face, "It won't go away. It's in my head. Sebastian. He won't go away. And - And there's this voice, it sounds like me but it's not and it won't stop."

Stiles looks over at Scott again, mouth hanging open as he gestures for him to say or do something. He's freaking out. The way she's looking at him, with complete trust and a vulnerability that Stiles has never seen on her before, it makes him want to help. But he has no idea how he can. 

"We should call Argent," Scott says, voice low and his words directed at Lydia and Isaac, both of whom seem to be in agreement. 

Scott looks over at him, taking a step closer but eyeing Allison warily. Stiles gets the message and meets him the rest of the way, turning his back to her.

"I need you to stay here with her," Scott tells him. 

Stiles immediately shakes his head. 

"Please, Stiles. I need you to do this. Just a few minutes. Please."

Stiles hates that Scott's wide and desperate puppy-dog eyes actually work on him. 

He rubs a hand over his mouth, still trying very hard not to give in because he knows how badly this could end. Him and Allison together without Scott? Not a good idea. But then he bites the inside of his cheek and sighs. 

"Fine," he replies, keeping his voice low. "But I swear to god, you better come right back. I mean it, as soon as you leave this room, I will be counting how long it takes you to come back and if it's more than fifteen minutes, I'm going to kick your werewolf ass. And you better have Argent with you." 

Scott grins and nods, clapping Stiles shoulder gratefully before turning back to the rest of their friends. "Come on. We need to hurry." 

Stiles eyes' widen. "Hold on, you're all leaving?" He asks, waving his hand at them all but looking at Scott. "No. No way. Scott, this is a very, very bad idea. It's your worst one yet." 

"I need them," Scott tries to explain. When Stiles just raises his eyebrows, asking for a better explanation than that, Scott presses on, "I need Isaac to come with me to get Argent. And we need someone to go to Deaton. He knows way more about what's going on than he's letting on," he reminds him. 

Stiles narrows his eyes at Scott, mouth opening and closing, annoyed that Scott just used his own words against him. And that he's right. 

"Alright, fine." Stiles points at Jackson and Kira, both standing to the side, as if actively trying to avoid getting involved at all. "But you don't need them. They - they're staying."

Scott gladly agrees. Jackson and Kira both look like they would much rather he argued against it. But he just sends them a sheepish look and a shrug. Jackson sighs and rolls his eyes, looking away from them. He's obviously pretending to be more annoyed than he actually is considering his eyes linger on Allison. And Kira, a natural optimist apparently, sends him a slightly lopsided grin that looks more forced than anything else, eyes wide and a little terrified but agreeing to stay nonetheless. 

Just as Scott makes for the door, Isaac following right behind him along with a slightly unbothered Malia, Lydia finally speaks up. 

"I'm not okay with this." She's looking at Scott, her arms crossed over her chest as she shakes her head. "I'm not leaving Allison," she says firmly. 

"No, Scott's right," Stiles tells her gently. He can't believe he's even saying this, and clearly, neither can Scott or Lydia. "Someone needs to get answers from Deaton. You and Malia are..." Lydia raises her eyebrows and he quickly rethinks his choice of words, "Great at getting answers. People just love telling you things." 

Lydia looks unconvinced, still not moving and he can see why. He sighs and turns to look behind him. Allison isn't even looking at them, standing off to the side of the room and her hair covering her face from view. 

"Besides," he turns back to face Lydia, "There's too many people in here. We've already seen how badly that freaks her out. And as much as I would like to swap places with you and go interrogate Deaton-" He glances at Scott. "-I need to stay here. And so does Kira. Jackson's just... Jackson," he adds, gesturing at him. 

Lydia presses her lips together and he knows she wants to argue with him. He would too if the situation was different and it was Scott instead of Allison and he only trusted Lydia. Then she licks her lips and nods slowly.

"Yeah, okay," she says, looking up at him. "Just... make sure she's okay. Please."

He nods and smiles gently. Then Scott's guiding her out of the classroom, sending Stiles a grateful look over his shoulder before disappearing from view. Malia and Isaac follow after them, Isaac glancing back at Allison once more with such a sad look in his eyes that Stiles actually feels a bit bad for the guy. 

Then the door closes and Stiles is realising he's just been left in a room with Allison, Jackson, and Kira. That's an odd group of people that Stiles isn't even sure likes him. At all. But he has no other choice but to deal with it for now and wait for Scott and the others to get back. 

And then he remembers he still has a somewhat distressed Allison to take care of, because it sure as hell doesn't look like Jackson or Kira is going to even go near her. 

"Hey, Allison?" He steps closer to her, making sure to be careful and not make any sudden movements, understanding how much worse that could make the situation. He rests a hand on her shoulder again and once again takes it as a good sign that she doesn't try to move away from him. "Why don't we sit down, yeah?" 

Allison nods slightly, not looking up at him. She lets him gently guide her to the nearest desk and into one of the seats, still keeping her head down the whole time. 

Stiles pulls one of the chairs a little closer and sits down in it. His mind is all over the place, trying to quickly think of something to keep her distracted and possibly calm until Scott gets back with her dad. 

"Do you maybe... wanna talk about what you're seeing? Or is that something you want to completely avoid and I probably shouldn't have brought up?" 

He rubs his throat as he waits for an answer, his anxiety already getting the best of him and making it difficult to sit still. But the movement seems to catch Allison's attention as she finally looks up at him, her eyes on his hand. Then she's shaking her head and Stiles isn't sure what that means. 

"I don't want to talk about that," she says quietly. Her eyes move up to meet his and there's a sort of determination in them. "I want to know about my past. About who I am, my friends, my life. I want to know all of it."

Stiles is a little caught off-guard. He wasn't exactly expecting her to say that, not that he's sure what he was expecting her to say at all. He just knows that it definitely wasn't that. 

He turns slightly in his chair, looking at Jackson and Kira. He silently asks them if they think it's a good idea for him to tell her anything at all and they seem to get the message. Not that they're much help. Jackson clenches his jaw but shrugs and Kira just looks helpless, having no clue what to do. She's not the only one. 

Stiles sighs and turns back to Allison. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, okay?" Her eyes light up and it's honestly the happiest he thinks he's seen her since she came back to life. "But I may not be able to answer everything. Scott or your dad, hell, even Lydia would be the better person to ask these sort of things."  

"No." She shakes her head firmly, a strange look in her eyes. "I want to talk to you." 

Stiles sighs again but nods. "Okay. Not everything's going to make sense, alright? So, I need you to just... bare with me. Can you do that?" Allison nods. "Great."

And then he starts explaining it all to her. He tells her most of what he can remember from everything Scott's told him about Allison's life. There's obviously huge gaps that he can't fill in but her dad will be able to. And he tries his best to explain what happened when she first came to Beacon Hills; all of the supernatural things included. 

He can tell it doesn't quite make sense to her, based on the confused look she's wearing nearly the entire time he's speaking. But there's also a flicker of recognition in her eyes that Stiles nearly missed. He tries not to let it bother him, but his mind keeps wandering back to the split second when he was sure her eyes just completely changed from the Allison they all think she is to... someone else. Hopefully not something else. 

And he knows it's probably nothing, but he can't help worrying that something really is going on with her. It's just with what Deaton said to him, about saving Allison, and her seeing glimpses of what he can only assume is the beast of Gevaudan, not to mention her saying she's positive she heard the name Sebastian. 

Something just seems off about the whole thing. And whatever it is, Stiles knows he can't just let it go and forget about it. He needs to know if the girl in front of him really is the exact same Allison Argent that they used to be friends with and that amnesia really is the only side-effect of the dread doctors miraculously resurrecting her. 


	5. It'll All Make Sense

Deaton isn't at all surprised when he hears the front door of the animal clinic swing open, or when Lydia and Malia walk in, a sort of determination following them. He knows exactly why they're here, or at least, he has a vague suspicion. In fact, he's actually been expecting this conversation for quite some time; since they discovered that Allison is alive. Unfortunately, though, they sent the wrong people. 

He doesn't let them know that he's aware of their presence straight away. Instead, he keeps his back to them, hand brushing over jars and herbs on the shelf in front of him as he continues his search for a specific one.  

"We need your help." 

Deaton pauses at Lydia's blunt words. Then he grabs the jar he had been looking for, turning it over slowly to examine it. 

"Is that so?" He asks, his voice giving nothing away. He lifts his head to glance over at them. "What for?"

"Allison," Lydia says like it's obvious, which it is. She crosses her arms over her chest. "We need your help with Allison." When he doesn't say anything, just continues turning the jar over in his hand, she tries again, firmer this time. "There's something wrong. She just freaked out in the middle of lunch and we have no idea what's going on with her." 

Deaton sighs and looks up, turning to them. "I would love to help you," he says sincerely. "Truly, I would. But there is nothing you can do for her." 

"Then what-" Lydia is cut off as Deaton holds up a hand. 

"I said there is nothing _you_ can do for her. However, there is a possibility that Stiles and Kira can." He sets the jar down on the small metal table beside him. "They are the best hope you have of saving Allison." 

"What the hell does that mean?" Malia asks. 

Deaton simply shakes his head. "As I said, it has to be Stiles and Kira."

He turns his back on them and moves over to the unit that holds a few books and other various jars and bottles. "If that's all then I recommend you get back to school." 

Lydia scoffs and doesn't say anything, just grabbing Malia's arm as the two of them leave the room.

He waits until he hears the front door shut, making sure they're gone. And then he sighs, wishing he could have helped ease Lydia's concerns. He knows she's frustrated. He's not exactly giving them much to go on and she's worried about Allison. He understands that. 

But telling her the truth will only make things worse. Right now, he still needs to convince Stiles that he isn't as ordinary as he believes. That's going to be difficult enough as it is.

No, for now, he'll keep what he knows to himself. When Stiles finally believes, he'll tell him everything. And then, of course, the rest will find out. But it's easier to let them believe that they've got their best friend back, that Allison really is the same girl they used to know. 

\----------------------------------

Stiles sighs, running a hand through his hair as he stands with Scott, watching as Chris leads Allison to his car. She glances back at them, meeting Stiles' gaze for just a second. Her eyebrows furrow like she's confused but then she's turning back around and she's ducking into the car.

Stiles doesn't question it. At least, not much. He's still trying to figure out what it is about Allison that's putting him on edge, making him uneasy. Maybe it's as simple as the fact that he doesn't know how to be around her or how to look at her, knowing that he's the reason she was dead in the first place. 

All of his friends have told him that he can't blame himself. It wasn't his fault. It was the Nogitsune. But that doesn't really change how Stiles sees it. He got Allison killed and the thing that killed her was only there because it was living in him, feeding on the chaos that _he_ created. It was his fault. 

But now she's here. Allison is alive, and she doesn't even remember that he was the reason she died. He conveniently left that piece of information out when he was filling her in on the parts of her life that he knew about. That wasn't the only thing; he also left out the parts that he assumed would be better coming from Chris - her father.

Scott sighs and Stiles looks at him, his hand settling on his shoulder. "We'll figure this out." He squeezes slightly as Scott meets his eyes. "We'll get her memories back and then... we'll have Allison back." 

"I hope so," Scott says, voice far too quiet.

And then they're forced to go back into school as the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. Scott turns and heads inside but Stiles lingers. Allison and her dad are already gone but Stiles can't help staring at the spot where they had been just a few minutes ago. 

He knows something isn't right and he has always trusted his instincts; he was right about Matt, about Peter, about Theo. It's not like he wants there to be something more here, for Allison to not really be Allison and just some evil mind game conjured up by the Dread Doctors. But he can't just ignore this either. 

There's no way he's dragging Scott into this though. He's happy - well, he's glad to have Allison back. It would be better if she actually remembered him but Stiles can still tell that Scott believes that'll change soon. So, there is definitely no way that he's bringing this up to Scott. Or any of their friends for that matter. He'll figure it out on his own. If he's wrong, then he's wrong. And god does he hope he's wrong.

\-------------------------------

"Look, I get it," Stiles says sincerely, gesturing at himself. "You have absolutely no reason to tell me anything. If this was reversed, I wouldn't help you either!" 

Theo raises his eyebrows, appearing mildly insulted by that. 

Stiles clenches his jaw in frustration. "I just need you to tell me this one little thing. That's it. Then I will leave you alone forever, you can go back to your boyfriend and you'll never have to speak to me ever again." He tilts his head, eyebrows furrowing. "Well, maybe only when it's necessary. If Liam's there, just so that-" 

"As nice an offer as that," Theo cuts in, stopping Stiles before he can start rambling. "I really don't know anything." Stiles scoffs and Theo shrugs. "Seriously, the Dread Doctors were actually pretty secretive about certain things. I didn't even know who they were going to be using, so how could I possibly know if they did something to your friend?" 

"Because you're a twisted little-" Stiles stops himself, biting his tongue. 

He clenches his hands, nails scraping against his palms as he closes his eyes and sucks in a deep breath. When he looks back up at Theo, relaxing his hands again, he tries to ignore the slightly concerned look he receives. 

"Hey, are you oka-"

"I'm fine," Stiles snaps before Theo can even finish his sentence. He runs a hand over his face, sighing as he tries to force himself to calm down. He shouldn't be getting worked up over this but he barely got any sleep last night since he was up until four am trying to figure out what it is about Allison that's putting him so on edge. 

"You really can't don't know anything?" Stiles asks, searching Theo's face for any sign that he's lying. "The Dread Doctors told you absolutely nothing about Allison, bringing her back, or what they might have done to her other than shoving a thousand-year-old werewolf inside her body?" 

Theo shakes his head, regret flickering in his eyes like he wishes he could help more. "I know nothing, I swear. If I did, I would tell you." 

Stiles just rolls his eyes, not bothering to comment on how he has absolutely no reason to trust that whatsoever after everything Theo has done. He obviously gets the message though and nods slightly before pointing to his left. 

"Can I... leave now?" He asks warily, eyeing Stiles like he's about to try and attack him. 

"Of course you can leave. You could have left whenev-" 

It's then that Stiles realises he practically has Theo pinned against the lockers. He had been so determined to get him to talk and hopefully get some answers from him that he hadn't even thought, just cornering Theo the first chance he got. 

He steps back, eyes on the ground as Theo says something about needing to meet Liam before walking off in the direction of his next class. Stiles closes his eyes, forcing himself to slow his breathing. He could tell just from the look on Theo's face before he left that he could hear his heart beating far too fast for what was supposed to be a civil conversation. 

He has no idea what's gotten into him. None of this - none of it is normal. He shouldn't be getting frustrated or snapping over the tiniest of things, and he definitely shouldn't be pinning people up against lockers in the middle of school unless he's about to kiss them, which he definitely was not going to do. 

Stiles glances around, checking to see if anyone's staring at him considering he is just standing there, not moving or saying a word. He quickly heads for the nearest exit, deciding it would be best for him to just go home. 

Clearly, being at school isn't doing him much good and he doesn't want to snap at the wrong person and get his head bitten off by a rather angry werewolf just because he can't seem to keep himself under control. If he didn't know better he'd say he was the one who was turning. 

He just gets in his jeep and drives home. He shoots Scott a quick text asking if he can take some additional notes for him in the classes he's going to miss, then climbs out of his jeep and goes inside.

Once he's in his room, the door safely shut behind him, Stiles groans and tugs a hand through his hair, pacing back and forth. His eyes dart to the board on his wall, then to his more updated one - the one they used for the Dread Doctors and the Chimeras. 

Despite having already gone over every single piece of information he has more than once, Stiles moves over to it and begins examining it all again. There has to be something, some sort of hint that none of them picked up on before. 

Before he realises it, an hour passes, slipping by as Stiles just becomes more and more frustrated. He needs to find something. He knows he's right about this but he can't ask for help, no one will believe him. Except -

Stiles turns and heads over to his shelves. After a bit of blindly reaching and grabbing at thin air, his fingers close around the small bottle and he pulls it down. 

He walks back to his bed and sits down, rolling the bottle of Mountain Ash around in his hands. There has to be a reason Deaton gave this to him, he wouldn't do it for no reason. Deaton always has a reason, even if it's not a good one. 

"Alright, let's see if I'm going crazy," he mutters to himself before pulling the lid off of the bottle and tipping a small amount of the ash into his hand. 

After barely a second of just sitting there, feeling like an idiot, he realises that he has absolutely no idea what he's supposed to be doing. Deaton gave him next to no explanation and there was no instruction manual included with the Mountain Ash as far as he can tell. 

"Okay, so definitely crazy then." He sighs and closes his eyes, shaking his head.

Of course he doesn't know what he's doing. This is ridiculous and was never going to work from the start. He's not got any supernatural abilities and he isn't a druid or an emissary. He's just... human. 

Without realising, he curls the hand holding the Mountain Ash into a first, gritting his teeth as he wonders why he even considered this. He was just frustrated. Why is it so hard for him to let this whole Allison thing go? Why can't he accept that maybe she really is just Allison? 

Then his eyes fly open, a pain similar to an electric shock shooting up his arm. His eyebrows furrow in confusion. He's willing to brush it off as nothing but he knows, deep inside of him, that that isn't true. Something happened. He just doesn't know what. 

Deciding that he can't feel like more of an idiot than he already does, Stiles remembers something he read about Druids. The exact details are vague since it's been a little over a year since he last spent an entire night researching Druids and their abilities to get a better idea of what Deaton can do, but he's sure he remembers enough to at least give it a try. 

So, he lets his eyes fall closed once more, taking in a deep breath as he tries to focus, keeping his hand as steady as possible the entire time. Then, once he thinks he's ready, he throws the Mountain Ash up into the air. 

Very slowly and cautiously, Stiles opens one eye. He half expects to find his floor now covered in it. But when he looks at the ground, it's completely clean, no sign of the Mountain Ash. Stiles fully opens his eyes, looking around in confusion. It couldn't have just disappeared - 

His eyes drift up and his mouth falls open as he stares at the ash, suspended in the air like time just froze before it could come back down. 

Then he blinks, losing his focus and it comes falling down in a second, covering Stiles in a cloud of dark grey ash. He just closes his eyes, nodding to himself. 

"Should have seen that coming."  

He scrunches his face as some of the ash gets in his mouth, trying to spit it straight back out. Then it finally hits him. His eyes widen as he looks down at his hands, completely covered in Mountain Ash. The Mountain Ash that he had flung into the air and didn't come back down straight away. Which means... 

Stiles jumps off his bed and rushes out of his bedroom, almost making it out of the front door before backtracking and heading into the bathroom to clean himself up. But once he's done, he's definitely going to pay a visit to a certain vet. 

\-----------------------------

Allison presses her palms into her eyes, trying to block out the pounding in her head. It's been there since she just freaked out at lunch and only seems to be getting worse. It doesn't help that every time she closes her eyes, all she can see is that blue-eyed, snarling wolf. 

The flashes of... well, she doesn't quite know what they are. But they're becoming more vivid, more detailed. It started as just the Beast, but now, there's blood and snow. The sound of quiet gasps. A whispered, "No one will remember." 

And it doesn't help that she can't focus on anything. Since her dad brought her home, the only thing she can think about is what Stiles told her. There were obviously a lot of gaps he left unfilled but everything he did tell is just so... hard to process.

She hasn't told her dad that she knows any of it though. She doesn't know why, but she gets the feeling it might be better to leave it this way for now.

After a few seconds pass and the pounding's still there, Allison sighs and sits up. If she's not going to be going to school - which she's guessing is something that's definitely not up for discussion any time soon - then she might as well at least study, try to catch up with everyone else before she even attempts to convince her dad to let her go back. 

As soon as she climbs out of bed and her feet touch the floor, she starts to get a little light-headed. Thinking it's probably nothing, she simply steadies herself and brushes it off. She goes to move towards her desk. 

Then she freezes. Her entire body feels likes it's on fire, but so cold and chilling her to her bones. All she can hear is the pounding in her head. Her heart is jumping like crazy and her chest is tight. Her throat burns and aches and it's suddenly hard to swallow as everything blurs. 

For a second, Allison worries she's going to pass out. Because that's all she would need today. But she blinks and when she looks around, she's not in her room. Instead, she's kneeling in the middle of a clearing, snow covering the hundreds of trees around her, so tall that she can see nothing else. 

Before she can take it all in and try to figure out what the hell is going on, there's that quiet gasp that she's been hearing. Her eyes drift to the source of the noise. Subconsciously, she already knows what she's going to find.

But she still has to force herself not to scream, the sound getting caught in her throat and turning into a horrified gasp. 

The man in front of her - the one that she somehow knows is Sebastian - stares at her but his eyes are glazing over, like he's somewhere else. His hands grip the pike that Allison didn't even realise she was holding until now, the steel cold against her palms. 

Sebastian slides down it a little more, pulling another noise from him. Allison doesn't know what to say, what to do. She just stares at him, terrified and so confused. 

"You would have them take my name? _Our_ name?" He chokes out, a look of fury in his eyes. 

Allison just shakes her head, unable to speak or move. She's barely able to focus on a thing he says, her head spinning. 

But he looks up at her, his blood sliding down the pike and coating her hands in it, and her mouth just starts moving. The words slide easily off her tongue but she doesn't register a single one of them. Her eyes sting but she doesn't know why. 

Then she's getting off her knees and finally letting go of the pike. Her hand is on Sebastien's shoulder as she leans down, her voice shaking and lips next to his ear. 

"History might remember you, Sebastien," She says, her voice a whisper. "But only as a beast." 

She presses her lips to his forehead without thinking about it, squeezing her eyes shut. It's like she's acting on instinct, like she's done this before. But she knows she hasn't. At least... she doesn't think she has. 

She's shaking as she opens her eyes. But when she does, she's no longer in the woods and Sebastian is nowhere to be found. She's just standing in her bedroom, the exact spot she stopped at. 

Her legs are suddenly trembling underneath her and her chest is tightening once more as black dots dance in front of her eyes. Before she can collapse on the floor, she backs up until she hits the bed and sits down, one hand reaching out and gripping the wooden frame.

A few seconds pass, nothing but the sound of Allison taking in slow, steadying breaths filling her room. It's a little longer before she can see clearly again and it's not as hard to breathe anymore. 

But there's still this feeling in her chest, traveling through her body and clouding her mind with an ache that she's sure can't be normal. It's the worst thing she's ever felt - at least, she thinks it is. 

It's just this... darkness. An indescribable anger that she can't even begin to explain or understand. She's not certain, but there's something in the back of her mind, telling her that she already knows what it all means. She just has to try and remember, and then it'll all make sense. 


End file.
